Hive

Overview

In Hive, the Great War has begun. World War Bzzzz, where one insect colony pits itself against another, with the goal of trapping the opposition in untenable positions and then going after the grand prize: the Queen Bee who ultimately holds the key to controlling the opposing hive!

Suburbia is a 2 player game in which you’re one insect hive seeking to attack your opponent and becoming victorious by surrounding your opponent’s Queen Bee on all sides so that the Queen Bee cannot escape. To that end, your troops, both on the offensive and defensive end include the versatile ant, the hopping grasshopper, the sloth-like spider, and the very sly and sneaky spider. Each insect has a unique way of moving about and using each insect to its fullest is the key to overwhelming victory!

Because in this game, moving is the name of the game. And preventing your opponent from moving by pinning their insects is what’s needed to give yourself that advantage needed to sally forth and claim victory. After all, if you deny your opponents the ability to move, your insects will have free rein of the board, giving you more opportunities to capture the Queen Bee or deploying even more soldiers in your fight to the finish.

Core Mechanics: Troop Deployment and Movement

Victory Condition: It doesn’t get any easier than describing as “Surround the Queen Bee”. And victory occurs when the enemy’s Queen Bee is completely surrounded. It doesn’t matter whether it’s surrounded by friendly troops or enemy troops or a mixture of each; as long as the Queen Bee is surrounded on all 6 sides is when the other player wins.

Ease of learning: If people can learn Chess, learning Hive is a breeze. The movement of each piece, once you describe it, is pretty clear cut. There’s little ambiguity in figuring out how to deploy new insects and how to move the insects. Some, like the Beetle, feature a few tricks. Others, like the Spider, have odd exceptions. Beyond those, everything else should be a cinch. I’ve had no issues teaching new players this game.